Striping attachment for circular knitting machines



June 21, 1932. F. W. ROBINSON STRIPING ATTACHMENT` FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April le, 1929 Patented June 2l, -1932 'UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

ERANR W. ROBINSON. OE READING, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNOR To scHUYLRILL HosIERY MILLs, OE READING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OE PENNSYL- vANIA v f sTRIPING ATTACHMENT EOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Application iled April 16, 1929. Serial No. 355,605.

My invention relates to circular knitting machines, and more specifically to a striping thread attachment.therefor of the kind set forth in my prior Patent No. 1,428,398, of

of needles 3 carried thereby having operativeI varyingly-butted jacks 4 acted upon by a series of jack 'cams 5, the different movements 5 September fifth, 1922, and comprises malnly of the latter being controlled as heretofore improvements in the construction, driving by pattern mechanism to selectively 'raise demechanism, and automatic pattern control mechanism of said striping attachment and certain related parts, whereby I am enabled to produce a greatly increased variety of pattern designs not heretofore attainable. More concretely my improvements provide, among other advantages that will later herein apfplear, for shifting `the' striping thread guide ngers from one set of striping needles to another during such stripe formations, and for automatically controlling such guide shifts from the pattern mechanism. The nature of myimprovements and the advantages thereof are fully set forth in the following speciication in connection with the accompanying drawing, and the novel features thereof pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. lis a sectional elevation showing my improved construction in preferred form, in

connection with known knitting machine elements, the view being largely diagrammatic. Fig. 2 is aseparate perspective view of the reel driving ring gear, partly in broken awayl "0 sections.

termined needles into feeding position to receive the threads from the several guide iingers 6 of the striping attachment, which iingers 6 have needle-engaging swinging movements controlled by pattern mechanism, allas more fully described in my aforesaid patent. In the lmown mechanismabove briefly referred to', the several guide fingers 6 are maintained in constantly fixed relation relative to the needle cylinder, and each linger 6 therefore feeds its thread only to its own respective needles throughout the stripingv operation. Having in mind the previously stated provision for varying the series of needles fed by the several guide fingers 6, my invention.

-relates primarily to improvements in the carrier mechanism for said lingers and to novel driving means for said carrie'r as willr now be fully described, referring to the pre-V ferred construction shown in the drawing.

A pillar 12, supported on the machine frame, is show'n as having an upper bracket 13, in the outer end of which is Xedly suspended a carrier rod 15 non-rotatably depending in vertical alinement with the .axis of the needle cylinder 2. Rotatably mounted on the upper end of said rod 15, is a ybobloin carrying reel or spool 16, preferably comprising as shown, upper and lower disc members 17 and 18, respectively, held in spaced relation byl a central rod engaging spindle 19 and radial partitions 20, the latter sepa- I rating the several bobbins 21 which are mounted on the lower disc member 18. A ,concentric ring 22 is shown as fixedly suspended below\disc member 18 to lprovide a supporti for proper tension devices for the several threads, the latter as indicated, ex-

als

- through eyelets in the disc member 17, thence 'the pattern control mechanism to downwardly throughI other eyelets in said disc 17, and eyelets in disc 18, and ring 22 to the guide fingers 6below the latter.

The guide ngers 6, as indicated, are similar in construction to those showin in my aforesaid prior patent, and are pivotally mounted in a carrier head 25 as before, said head in the present instant however, merely loosely engaging rod and being rotatably supported in spaced relation beneath ring 22 by a bearing ring`26 formed in the end of a bracket 27 carried by pillar 12. Rigid arms 28 are shown as operatively connecting said head to rin 22, so that it will bev und/erstood that sai head and ring and bobbin carrying reel 16 will rotate as a unit on rod 15.

The needle-engagingswings of the guide fingers 6 are effected. as heretofore by a vertically movable cam sleeve 30 acting in the mannerset forth in my aforesaid patent, said sleeve in the present construction being mounted between ring 22 and head 25 and having an integral spline slidably engaging' a vertical groove in rod 15, said groove eX- tending lengthwise of said rod and carrying a rigid s line extension 31, the projecting upper en of which is formed with a head 32 engaged by the forked end of a cam-sleeve positioning lever 33 pivotally mounted on bracket 13. The lever 33 has pivotally connected thereto a link 34 connectin it with eterminedly control the needle engaging swings of the several guide fingers 6 as heretofore.

In the improved construction above set forth, it will be noted that the finger carrier head 25 and its connections are free from any Y connection to the needle cylinder 2 and may be independetly rotated to vary the relative positions ofthe several guide fingers 6 to the circle of needles, or may be driven jointly with said `cylinder to maintain a fixed relation as heretofore. i

The improved driving means for said head 25 and its connected ring 22 and bobbin reel 16, as shown the drawing, comprises a ring gear mounted .to freely rotate on the suitably shaped bearing therefor formed on the disc member 17,k said ring member carrying a clutch pin variably engageable with said disc member. Ring gear 40 is driven from a vertical shaft 41 mounted in suitable drive said ring gear 40 at the same rotativeL speed that needle cylinder 2`is'driven. The clutch pin 45 mounted iniring ear 40, as shown, is carried by one end o an inter-V mediately pivoted carryingarm 4 6, the op-` posite end of said arm having a cam engageable head'47 and a spring 48 normally holding said pin 45 in projected position extending through said ring gear to engage one of a series of apertures formed in disc member 17, said apertures preferably having inclined guide ways 51 leading thereto, as shown, and being spaced to correspond with the spacings of the several guide fingers 6, so that each pin'engagement with a recess will insure properl position of the guide iingers for action on needles ,employed in the striping operations.

' A lever 55 shown pivoted at 56 to bracket `13, carries a cam 57 adapted to engage head 47 to free clutch pin 45 from engagement with disc 17, and a brake shoe 58, pivotally mounted on pillarA 12, is adapted to frictionally engage with disc member 18 simultaneously with the lifting of pin 45 `so as to hold said freed carrier reel 16 against rotation. Such joint movements vof lever and brake shoe 58 are controlled by a pattern actuated lever 60 connected by a link 61 to one end of a bell crank 62 pivotally supported on the machine frame, the opposite arm of said bell crank having a link 64`connecting it to lever 55, and a separate resilient connection 65 to brake shoe 58. Thel action of lever cam 57 on head 47 is a momentary one` during a portionv only of a single rotation of ring gear 40andis effected in wellknown manner, by the passing of a drum stud 71 beneath yone end of lever 60.

Lever 33 is directly connected by its link 34 to a pattern controlled lever 65. The series of .jack cams 5 have a corresponding series of directly acting pattern controlled levers 66, and the ring gear clutch pin 45 and bobbin reel brake shoe 58 are jointly controlled as above set forth, by pattern controlled lever 60'; and each of saidpatterncontrolled levers is shown as riding in itsl own respective path on a usual cam drum 70. By properly shaping the cams on said drum and cooperatively timing its joint or sectional rotations, desired selective raising of striping needles into feeding position, and cooperative needle engaging swinging movements of ide iingers 6, may be secured,together wit relative change of the guide iingers to the striping needles by timed freeing of clutch pin 45 and its reengagement lin. asucceeding aperture in disc 17 the bobbin vreel 16 durlng the time such clutch 4pin is freey being held against rotation by brake shoe-58.

The action of jack cams 5 to lift striping needles to a feeding position, is clearly shown in Fig. 4, and to,` selectively relower certain of such raised needles before the ffeeding action is affected, as where an interrupted stri e is desired, or where certain stripes are to e I omitted as in the foot of a stocking, I have provided a cam 75 iXedly suppfrted on the cam ring 76 and radially shifted bodily into Jthe path of ,the needle butts by a pattern controlled lever 77. Said cam 75, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 4, has a pivotal turning movement in its shiftable bearing axle, and is formed With an eccentric needle butt engaging cam edge 80 normally held turned in idle raised position by coil spring 81. lVhen cam 7 5 is radially shifted toward cylinder 2 by lever 77, a projection 82 on said cam 75 is brought into the path of travel of a cam or cams 83 iiXcdly secured at proper positions on said rotating needle cylinder. Cam 83, for a part of each rotation of the needle cylinder,

will engage and depress projection 82 of cam to turn the latter on its pivot and swing its eccentric edge across the feed level path of travel of the jack raised needles, such temporary position of said edge 80 relowering out of said 'feed level path any raised needles that pass under it. The needles thus relowered Will not receive a striping thread in that particular cylinder rotation, but may in the next or a succeeding one, depending' on the action of jack cams 5 and of lever 77 controlling the bodily radial shift of cam 75 into and out of the rotary path of cam 83.

Fig. 4 may be read as indicating cam 75 bodily shifted bylever 77 into the path of roller cam 83, and, the turning action of the latter on cam 7 5 indicated in dotted lines.

The proper timing ofthe actions of pattern lever 77, and the proper locating of the cylin- -der carried cams 83 provides additional pattern variations to those produced by the previously described pattern controlled lever 65, series of levers 66, and lever 60.

From the foregoing description it is believed that the nature and operation of my improved construction will be readily understood. And it Will of course be recognized that the preferred embodiment thereof specifically set forth may be4 modified Within the spirit ofmy invention as` defined in the following elaims.

What I claim is:

l. In combination With a circular knitting machine having a rotatable needle cylinderand operative cam mechanism, a striping thread attachment comprising a carrier mounted in axial alinement with said needle cylinder and having a radially swingable needle-engaging thread guide finger, means needle cylinder whereby Said guide finger Will engage only With certain needles, and

pattern controlled means to disengage said carrier and reengage the same in a set-back relation relative to said needle cylinder,

whereby said guide` linger will vengage withy other certain needles only.

2. In combination With aA` circular knitting machine having a rotatable needle cylinder and operative cam mechanism, a striping thread attachment having a rotatable guide finger carrier mounted in axial alinement with said needle cylinder, a drive mechanism for said carrier comp-rising a disc member fixed to said carrier and carrying a freely one member a apted to variably engage in a series of pin apertures in the other member, pattern mechanism for automatically controlling said variable pin engagements, and means to jointly drive said ring member and needle cylinder. v 3. In combination With a circular knitting machine comprising a rotatable needle cylinder and operative cam mechanism therefor, a rotatable striping thread guide carrier, means to cooperatively rotate said carrier and said cylinder, and means to disengage said carrier from said rotating means during a determined cylinder rotation and to reengage it in a set-back relation relative to said cylinder before the completion of said determined rotation.`

4.. In combination with a circular knitting machine comprising a rotatable needle cylinder and operative cam mechanism therefor, a rotatable striping threadlguide carrier, means to cooperatively rotate said carrier and said cylinder, and means to disengage said carrier from said rotating means at a definite point machine comprising a rotatable needle eylin.

der and operative cam mechanism therefor, a rotatable striping threadl guide carrier, means to cooperatively rotate said carrier and said cylinder, means to disengage said carrier from said rotating means during a determined rotation of the needle cylinder, means to hold said carrier non-rotative during such disengagement, and means to reengage said carrier in a set-back relative relation to said driving means at a later point in said determined cylinder rotation.

6. In combination With a circular knitting machine comprising ,a rotatable needle cylinder and operative cam mechanism therefor, a rotatable striping thread guide carrier, means to cooperatively rotate said cylinder and carrier comprising a freely rotatable drive member'for the latter having a clutch to rotate said carrier at equal speed with said device engageable with any one of a plurality of cooperative clutch devices on said carrier,v and means to disengage said clutch from one of said cooperative carrier devices and reengage it in a succeeding one during a determined rotation of said drive member.

7. In combination With a circular knitting machine comprising a rotatable needle cylina rotatablev striping thread guide carrier, means to cooperatively rotate said cylinder and carrier comprising a freely rotatable drive member for the latter having a clutch V- der and operative cam mechanism therefor,

device engageable with any one of a. plurality of cooperative clutch devices on said cartier, means to disengage said clutch, means to hold said carrier against rotationduring such disengagement, and means to reengage n said clutch in a. succeeding Carrier coopera.-

tive device, said clutch disengagement and reengagement being automatically e'ected during a determined rotation of said carrier drive member. i

In'testimony whereof I aiiix my' signature.

FRANK W. ROBINSON. 

